Terrorist and Insurgent Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Use, Potentials, and Military Implications

This manuscript focuses on the present threat posed by terrorist and insurgent use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as the associated future threat potentials identified. The work presents a counterintuitive analysis in the sense that armed drones are typically viewed as a component of America’s conventional warfighting prowess—not a technology that would be used against U.S. troops deployed overseas or against civilians back home.

The analysis not only has immediate value for Army force protection and counterterrorism programs, but also for research being conducted on projected robot-on-human force-on-force engagements in insurgency type environments, as well as strategic considerations related to emerging “drone swarm” concepts and the changing character of warfare as robot land power technologies evolve and are increasingly fielded.

Topics treated include:

Reconnaissance and Surveillance,

Messaging,

UAV Capabilities,

IED Delivery,

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Delivery,

Weapons Platform,

Potentials-Threat Scenarios,

And more...    

This publication would be useful to the military's analysis community, civilian leaders, military commanders and staff officers at all levels, policymakers, members of government and defense agencies/contractors, and members of military-focused committees.  This publication would also be useful to historians and students engaged with military studies (especially drone warfare studies).